Château de Fonbel, St Emilion Grand Cru, 2019
This 16 hectare estate on the St Emilion plain has a sandy, gravelly terroir, but despite the humble situation, Fonbel produces some sensational wines - hardly surprising given that this estate is managed by the father and daughter team of Alain and Pauline Vauthier. Produced from 85% Merlot, 10% Cabernet Sauvignon and 5% Carmenère, the 2022 offers an attractive bouquet of wild berries and fragrant dark fruits. The palate is packed with vivid, bright blackcurrant, hedgerow fruits and a hint of liquorice. Nicely judged tannins. Fresh and breezy. Very good.
critic reviews
The 2019 de Fonbel is made from 85% Merlot, 10% Cabernet Sauvignon, and 5% Carmenere. Medium to deep garnet-purple in color, it delivers bright, breezy notes of red cherry preserves and black raspberry followed by hints of lavender, star anise, and wild sage. The medium-bodied palate has a racy backbone and grainy tannins with bright, crunchy fruit and great length.
The 2019 Château de Fonbel lacks a little delineation on the nose, a mixture of earthy red and black fruit, dry tobacco and graphite. The palate is medium-bodied with supple tannins. One of the more pliant Saint-Émilion wines this vintage with a smooth, seductive finish that doesn't quite deliver the complexity expected at the moment. Tasted blind at the Southwold annual tasting.
From a 16-hectare vineyard on sandy soils on the plain, the 2019 Fonbel is a Merlot-dominant blend complemented by some Cabernet Sauvignon and, since 2004, Carmenere. Offering up aromas of blueberries, raspberries and loamy soil, it's a medium to full-bodied, ample and succulent wine with delicate tannins and a supple, giving profile. Fully 70% is matured in tank to keep the fruit in the foreground.